9th Grade English Reading Project

Introduction

Students, Friends, Other people who randomly invade web pages (but mostly students), have you ever read a book so beautiful, so catching, that you just HAD to share it? Well, sadly, not all books get this kind of attention. I am here to tell you that ALL books can be beautiful in their own way! 
Your task is to find what makes a particular book beautiful and intriguing, or completely horrid to the point which you never want to see it again, for this is your main quest on this WebQuest. Lets get started, Shall we? 
Start off by looking at the attached list of books entitled "The List" and think about your choice (found in resources right below this section). But choose wisely, because you will need to form a relationship with that book, and it would just stink if you hate it right off the bat. Pick quickly though, your book could be chosen before you get to it! you have three days to decide... Or do you? 

th books

To Kill a Mockingbird

The Odyssey

Animal Farm

Nation  

Task

Students,
Your task is to select a book from the list on the "Introduction" page, and to read that book. It would be best to set up a time for you to read a certain amount each day, according to the due date for the final project and how many pages/chapters are in your book. You will be asked to write short reflections of what you read. Each reflection you write will have two paragraphs; the first paragraph is your summary of what you read that day, and the second is your reaction to the text. This all leads up to a final paper over the book you have read, and your reflections will be needed to write this paper.

Process

The process will go as follows:

  • Email me three choices off of the list, and I will reply to you which book you are able to read. Choices are based on a first come, first serve basis. You have 3 days to choose a book and get started.
  • Reflections will be due every Monday and Thursday, so try to follow along with them; your reflections will come in handy for your assessment of this project. Each reflection is numbered, and can be found in this section below. Please keep a copy of these reflections for yourself for your own records and so that you can look back on what you've read with ease. There are a total of ten reflections for this project and they are each worth 10 points.
  • A week after the last reflection is due, Your final paper is due. This is your assessment and is worth 200 points. Please take a look at the "Paper Explanation" in the Evaluation Section.

Evaluation

Your evaluation of this project will be a final reflection paper in which you bring all of your summaries together and tell me what you think of the book. Be sure to look over the attached sheet below to see all of the components for this paper. It is worth 100 points and is due a week from the tenth reading reflection you write, which should be on a Thursday. 
Evaluation Rubric
  0 - 6.24 Points 6.25 - 12.49 Points 12.5 - 18.74 Points 18.75 - 25 Points Score
Paper Organization Paper was hard to follow, unorganized. May have been missing some criteria. Paper was easy to read but may have been missing a few things. Paper has most components or may be a bit difficult to follow. Paper has all components included and shows evidence of organization. Good job! ___/25
Mechanics Paper had many errors. (more than 10 errors found) Paper had some errors (7-9 errors) Paper had a few errors (3-6 errors) Paper had few or no errors (0-2 errors) ___/25
Summary The paper was either entirely a summary about the book, or there was no summary found. Summary was very lengthy and took up a majority of the paper. Summary was a bit more than a paragraph, but was still well written. Summary was a paragraph in length and brief. It did not take up a majority or all of the paper. ___/25
Reflection Reflection was not the basis of the paper or there was no reflection (1 or no paragraphs) Reflection was not the basis of the paper. It could have been longer (2 paragraphs) Reflection was good, but may have lacked explanation to thoughts (3 paragraphs). Reflection was at least 3 paragraphs in length and explained everything well (3 + paragraphs) ___/25
Total Score:

Conclusion

 
So how did we all do?
There were multiple benefits to this assignment. Allowing you to choose a book off of a specified list was meant to give an opportunity for you as the student to expand your reading boundaries. For people who don't enjoy reading as much, it gave an opportunity for a student to open up to new ideas. I am hoping that you as the student found reading something diverse as a benefit in its own way.
Writing the paper was supposed to give you the opportunity to give your own opinion to what you have read. Did you have an easy or difficult time relating to the text? was there something relatable about the characters or maybe a situation? The paper is your writing, and your voice. 
You will be getting your papers back in class soon; please be sure to check the comments I have left for you. If you have questions, please see me before or after class.